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Beltane looked pissed but still asked, “I take it your source is trustworthy? I’ve heard nothing about it. And my finger is on the pulse of every drug distributor in the city.”
“Not every pulse, it would seem,” Roman corrected. “And yes, I trust this person implicitly.”
“Well, fuck,” Beltane muttered. His shoulders bunched, and he clenched and unclenched his fists several times before meeting Roman’s eyes. “I’ll sort it out. You have my word.”
Roman thought about it for a long moment, weighing up what he knew about the drug runner in front of him versus his desire for some violence on Angel’s behalf. He would much prefer not to have to kill everybody in the warehouse, and Beltane was a good businessman. So, he held out his hand, the other man taking it quickly. “Good enough. I’ll give you a month. If the streets aren’t cleaned up, you’ll have to find a new landlord. And a new set of teeth. Understood?”
Beltane nodded. “I understand. I’ve got this. I’m pissed, too.”
“Then we’re cool, you and I,” Roman stated. “Contact Abel if you need anything.”
“I will. Thank you for bringing this to my attention,” Beltane said, walking them to the door.
Roman, Abel, and Salvatore had just stepped outside when they heard a commotion coming from the building next to them. It was another of Roman’s, but he wasn’t sure who the renters were. “What’s that noise?” he asked.
Beltane rolled his eyes. “The neighbors. Fucking rowdy bunch.”
“Fight ring?” Abel guessed, looking in the direction of the old steel factory. It sounded like a large crowd was getting pumped up.
“Kind of,” Beltane replied. “Dog fights.”
“What?” Roman whipped his head around. “Did you just say dog fights?”
There were a few things he refused to dabble in. One was sex trafficking, and the other was the torture of helpless animals. When he was fourteen years old, just two years after losing his mother, his father shot his beloved dog in front of him. The act scarred him for life, in deeper ways than just being an heir to a crime family had. He abhorred animal cruelty.
“This shit is going on under my nose? In my place?” Roman snarled, his nostrils flaring. First there was the Lenny and Dane situation. Then the dirty drugs. Now dog fights? What the hell was happening to his crew and his things? “How did I miss this? And how did I miss all the other shit going on?”
“Well, you have been paying more attention recently,” Abel piped up from beside him.
“I always pay attention,” Roman snapped.
Abel didn’t so much as blink in the face of Roman’s anger. “I’m not saying you’ve been lax. You’ve always cared about your assets and your people. It’s why your crew is so loyal. But you’ve been different since you met Angela. Now you care... well, more.”
It was true. He was good at compartmentalizing. He had to be. Anything that didn’t touch his family personally or affect his businesses negatively wasn’t high on his radar. But since meeting Angel, he had discovered many things now bothered him when they never did before. Exhibit A was Beltane. Once upon a time, he wouldn’t have cared less if a bunch of idiots overdosed or lost their shit. But now that he saw the impact it had on someone he cared about, he was all about making it golden.
Roman looked at his best friends seriously. “Am I becoming a pussy?”
Salvatore stared back at him like he was daft. “Are you being serious? Finding someone to care about doesn’t make you soft,” he said, reading Roman’s fear correctly. “Did I lose my edge when I fell in love with Luca?”
“Yes,” Roman and Abel answered simultaneously.
“I did not! Assholes!” Salvatore snarled at them before turning to Roman once more. “I’ve known you since we were children. You’ve always been the best of us, Roman. But since meeting Angela, you’ve become better. I’m damn proud of you.”
Sal’s words hit Roman right in the feels. He didn’t respond because he couldn’t without fear his voice would crack.
Abel slapped Roman on the back. “What he said.” He nodded his head at Salvatore. “Bad boys for life. Now, what are we going to do about the poor, abused fighting dogs?”
Roman switched gears gratefully. “We’re going to make someone very sorry for hurting animals on my property.”
“Excellent.” Abel rubbed his hands together. “And here I thought it was going to be boring. I mean, we didn’t even beat Beltane up.”
“Uh, thank you?” came Beltane’s voice from right behind them.
Roman snorted, amused. He turned to the other man, having completely forgotten his presence for a moment. He hoped Beltane was smart enough not to mention the sweet little interlude with his family to anyone. “Head back inside. Get started on your problem. We’ll sort this out. You won’t have to worry about noisy neighbors anymore.”
Beltane gave him a salute, turning around and walking back inside without saying anything further.
“He’s not so bad,” Sal commented as the three of them began walking in the direction of the other building. He made a few hand signals to the two parked cars, which had men filing out. He saw the look on Roman’s face, interpreting it correctly. “They’re just backup. They’re not going to take away your fun.”
